When He Was Called, Obeyed

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray continued the church's series through Hebrews 11 on December 15, the third Sunday of Advent. Rather than stepping away for a Christmas message, he stayed in the hall of faith, walking through the specific examples of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. The thread running through all of them was the same question he closed with: do you believe that God is, and are you seeking Him?...

Read together

1. Hebrews 11:1-2 definition of faith as assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen
2. Hebrews 11:3 general statement that by faith we believe God created everything from nothing
3. Hebrews 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please God; He rewards those who seek Him
4. Ephesians 2:8-9 saved by grace through faith, unifying all believers of all times
5. Ephesians 6:10 finally be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, put on the full armor of God
6. Genesis 15:6 Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness
7. Romans 4:3 Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness
8. Galatians 3:6 Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness
9. James 2:23 scripture fulfilled: Abraham believed God, reckoned as righteousness, called friend of God
10. Acts 7:2-3 Stephen's speech: God of glory appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia and told him to leave his country
11. Genesis 21:12 God told Abraham through Isaac your descendants shall be named
12. Genesis 50 Joseph told his brothers God would bring them to the promised land and asked them to carry his bones
13. Joshua 24 choose whom you will serve; as for me and my house we will serve the Lord; bones of Joseph buried
14. Luke 2:8-11 Advent reading: angel appeared to shepherds announcing good news of great joy, a Savior born
15. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 benediction: may the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and into Christ's perseverance

Talk about it

1. Ray said that Abel's faithful act led not to prosperity but to his murder, and that diligent faith does not guarantee earthly success. Where have you seen that tension play out in your own life or in the life of someone you know?
2. Ray repeated the phrase 'when he was called, obeyed' about Abraham and asked whether it could be said of each of us by name. What is something God has called you to that you have obeyed, and what is something you are still hesitating on?
3. Ray pointed out that Abraham and Sarah could have turned around and gone back to the country they knew, but they kept going forward. What familiar place or old way of doing things have you been tempted to return to instead of trusting where God is leading?
4. Ray described Abraham's willingness to offer Isaac as resting on the conviction that God could raise the dead, even though Abraham had no resurrection stories to look back on. What do you lean on when God asks something of you that makes no earthly sense?
5. Joseph's dying wish was for his bones to be carried back to the promised land, a forward-looking faith that outlasted his own life. Ray asked whether we believe God is and whether we are actively seeking Him. How does your daily life right now reflect your answer to those two questions?